Of Bookworms and Bookmarks
by Karianasan
Summary: Velma decides to go outside to enjoy the fall weather and some reading, getting Fred to join her. Everyday/Slice of life plus light romance, cute Frelma fluff. Chapter 9 is up. I'm letting the story go where it wants to.
1. Of Bookworms and Bookmarks

"Hmmm..."

With book in hand, Velma was looking for a perfect spot to read. Wanting to change things up, Velma had looked about all of her reading options in the house and had decided to do something different today.

While she loved her little indent that she had made in the couch, the duo had managed to hog most of the couch in an unconscious heap after a particularly filling meal... or something like that. Either way, Shaggy and Scooby had passed out in the living room, so Velma didn't want to bother them by choosing her usual reading spot. And that also made choosing the bow window a no-go, as much as her couch spot. She couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't make some noise and wake them up. And while that wouldn't be a big deal, she hated bothering them if she could help it. Leaving them to sleep in peace, and sought out another option.

' _They look so calm when they are sleeping..._ '

She had given thought to going downstairs and claiming a bean bag spot in the basement. But Daphne had been holed up in her darkroom for the last while. Velma really didn't want to bother the other woman, or suffer a lecture if she forgot to have proper lighting for her reading. Something she forgot often when she got caught up in a particularly good tale. And while she had warning lights set up in case Daphne came down the stairs, it did little to warn Velma once she was already past the sensors. So, it was less of a hassle to try to find somewhere else.

She was running out of her normal places. She could choose the hammock, but she had already read a few books lately in it, and felt like she should try somewhere else before she chose that. Leaving it as a backup plan, just in case.

So, that only gave her two other spots. Her own bed, and the outside porch swing.

Her own bed was nice, but she tended to want to keep her bed, being a bed. A place that she would only use to go to sleep, or be stuck in if she was sick. She had read a bunch of studies that contributed some insomnia in modern households and especially apartments to be influenced with the use of beds. The more things you used your bed for, (reading, computers, etc.) the less you associated the piece of furniture with sleep. And the brain would then have trouble connecting the bed to a sleep routine. Velma liked to try to use her bed for sleeping things, and give her the best chance she could for falling asleep.

So, that only left Velma one other option. She headed out the front door, after putting on a scarf and hat to combat the small chill that had settled in as the afternoon moved in.

The weather had been weird the last few days in Coolsville. Fall was taking its time to be over, and normally the small town would have already been buried in snow at least once or twice in the last few years. But it seemed that autumn didn't want to give up, and was lingering around the town. Keeping the world in hues of orange, red and yellows as long as it could. The trees also seemed to be filled with an extra amount of leaves, depositing more than their normal share of multicolored bounty across the lawn and house of Mystery Inc.

And this is how Velma had found the porch.

"Hm..." She spoke again, considering her actions.

Looking over all the leaves, she was crunching in an ankle-deep layer of leaves that had seemed to have been blown onto the covered porch. How, she wasn't exactly sure, but they were there none the less. Sighing, since she just wasn't going to push the leaves out of the way, she moved back inside to fetch a broom and dust pan so she could take care of clearing the stoop before she got around to the love seat at the end of it.

It had been such a long time she had used it, it probably had been getting lonely around the side of the porch.

"I feel we sometimes forget it is even there..." Velma mused to herself, knowing that she was guilty of that. Neglecting the swinging seat at the front of the house.

Setting to sweeping, Velma worked in rows to clear one side of the veranda to the other. Collecting the piles and depositing them on her flowerbeds that sat in front of the raised deck. Hoping that they would become proper fertilizer as they decomposed. So, they were more used than just placing them in a bag and tossing them to be picked up by the garbage trucks. Plus, it was the wrong day anyway for that sort of rubbish to be hauled off.

As she worked, a rumble of the Mystery Machine pulling into the driveway distracted her from her work, looking up to see Fred as he parked. Giving a wave before going back to her work, figuring once he was done he would use the front door to get back and she could get a chance to say hi before he went inside.

"Hey Velma, crazy weather we are having." Fred mentioned, finally coming around the bend and taking a few steps up the stairs before coming to the landing.

"I swear, the trees were just aiming to deposit their leaves on here."

"Can I help?"

"Sure, I'm almost done but I wouldn't mind a hand." Offering him the dust bin, he tucked something under his arm before moving to kneel and help her scoop up one of the last piles she had left to deposit on to the flowers.

"Just toss it on to the area where the Gaillardia... er Blanket Flowers usually spring up. The spot where those little kinda orange and red flowers normally bloom and No no, over there. Yeah." Velma directed, making sure he placed the leaves in the right spot.

"I'm surprised they aren't still hanging around since Fall wants to stick around." Velma wondered aloud, not sure why the little plants weren't still milling about in the strange warmer weather.

"Well, there was that cold snap last week, maybe that finally did them in till next year?" Fred offered as an explanation, which made the most sense. It had gotten pretty nippy then, but not so much to see the first snow fall of the season. Chilly to the point where the poor plant just shifted into hibernation till next year. And cold enough to break out the mugs and have hot chocolate weather. At least till how it was now, being warmer than they had expected.

With two people, Velma and Fred made quick work on the last stragglers of leaves from the porch and the love seat.

"Do you plan to do the whole lawn?"

Fred wondered, looking out to the expanse of grass before them. Not really jumping to get to that, but he would help her out if she was dead set to get it taken care of. One of the many things of being adult that had to be done, but wasn't the most fun. At least compared to hopping into the finished product, once all the foliage had been put in one jumpable place.

"Nah, though we should maybe get it done later or tomorrow. Before it actually does snow. But I just wanted to clear off the love seat for some light reading... Which I figure you are maybe looking at as well?"

Tilting to the side and pointing, Velma brought attention to the tucked object that he had been clinging to as he helped her work. She knew a book when she saw it, and was curious at which he seemed to be clutching... And if she had read it before.

"Heh, yeah. I had to make a run to the library this morning to renew this book before it became overdue. I know I'm almost done with it, but I didn't want to end up having it be late, in case something happened and I couldn't predict it. Like a Mystery popping out of nowhere. Less I anger the librarian in charge, the better."

Fred rationalized, not wanting to incur the wrath of the library lady. She knew him far too well, and Velma too for him to want to be on her bad side and have money due. It is like angering that strict looking teacher, and getting that disapproving look. And even though he was long out of school, he still didn't like getting that look if he could help it.

"Ha-ha, yeah. Ms. Maenard can be a bit scary if you owe on a book. It took me a while to get back on her good side after one of our Mysteries that delayed my book for several months. I forgot which one, but she was quite grumpy whenever I came, even after I paid them back." Velma admitted, giving a laugh.

"Probably the principle of the thing. The Famous Miss Velma Dinkley should set a better example than owing on a book." Fred tried to do his best stuffy Librarian impression, but fell far off the mark.

Snickering and moving over to the love seat, Velma gave the little hanging seat a tug to see how well it was holding up. Since it had been around long before they had owned the house. But they had updated it and repaired it several years ago, along with other housing updates. So, it still should be sturdy from then.

"Har har." Velma gave him a small look, "though you might be right. She is a fan of ours, even though it doesn't look like it."

Velma pointed out, having seen the newspaper clippings the woman had kept in a notebook that had once fell over and Velma had placed back. Prodding the squishy padding, she gave it a few pokes before settling on one side, leaving the other for Fred if he wanted to join her for some joint reading. Tucking herself all the way up into the seat, making it swing as her short legs were not long enough to reach the bottom when she was sitting so far back.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed her to be one. Fancy that." Fred had never considered the stuffy lady to be one of their fans, since she always seemed so strict on policies and such. But fans come in all shapes and sizes. Even in the form of a strict teacher librarian.

He stood off to the side for a bit, before Velma let loose a small cough to get his attention. Looking at the offered side, he blinked at it a few times before it registered what she was offering.

"Oh... Don't mind if I do." Taking his book in his hands, he sunk into the other side and made the whole thing swing a bit. Brushing his shoulder up against her as he settled. Though he was tall enough to reach the ground and settle the seat so they weren't shaking too much.

Pulling out her own book from where she had tucked it in her sweater, she fiddled with the bookmark to keep the little piece of plastic covered paper on hand in case of emergency. She never knew when a rogue element would appear and make her loose her page, so she always kept a bookmark or two on hand. But curiosity overcame her. Peeking over the top of her larger than average paperback, she cast a glance at the back cover of Fred's open book. Trying to glance at the writing as Fred held it out in front of him.

"... So... What you reading?"


	2. Gardening, Glasses and Disappointment

"... So... What you reading?"

Flipping through the pages, Fred held the book at arm's length as he turned the pages to try to find where he had last left off. Not having a bookmark to keep his place, though normally he did put at least a scrap of paper into the book to try to help keep track. But it seemed to have gone missing since he had last picked up the book and gave it a read.

"Hm... Oh. I am reading the second in the series, of A Garden Mystery by Joyce and Jim Lavene. Fruit of the Poisoned tree. It's a mystery book about a widow of a cop, who runs a garden shop and gets pulled into mysteries."

Turning the book over, Fred squinted at the cover of the book to read it off to Velma. Though she didn't miss the squinch and strain that he was doing to read just the simple title and authors. Shaking her head, she gave him a look.

"Hm, sounds interesting enough... Fred. Did you forget your glasses at the library again?" Velma commented, one eyebrow raised as she looked over to him. For a second he looked over at her, indignant at the accusation. But this was Velma after all. If it was anyone to know how it feels to suffer issues with glasses, it was her.

"..."

"..."

"It's in the van. I forgot to grab them when I came out." Fred caved and admitted to her. Hanging his head a bit, tilting his head as he spoke to her. Feeling a bit bashful at the admission.

"Then go get it. You don't have to squint and then make your eyes even worse by trying to read without your glasses." She said, giving him a shoulder shove to get him moving.

"You don't need to have glasses as thick as mine. So, go get them."

Chuckling, Fred gave in. Offering his book for her to hold on too, he waited till she gently took her charge till he returned. Pushing off the seat, making it swing... Fred hopped up and made the short trip to the van to retrieve his glasses.

 _At least he didn't actually leave it back at the library._

He returned quickly, and settled back against her and took back his book. Snapping his glasses case open, he plucked his glasses and tucked the unused case in his pant pocket. Fingering the edge of the glasses for a second, he looked at Velma once before putting it on. Opening up his view to be able to actually see the tiny text that had been thwarting him moments ago.

"Two things... one, those new glasses look really good." Velma pointed out, seeing that the frames had at least changed since she had seen them last. They were nice frames, and suited his face.

Fred muttered something, which earned him a look. He muttered again, before he signed and clarified why he change.

"I needed new ones... I sat on them. Snapped the frames."

Giving a laugh, Fred looked at her hurt before she shook her head at him and explained why she had laughed. Trying to keep in her mirth.

"I did that so many times when I first got mine, and countless more on our mysteries. I became a legend at my Optometrist. They actually tend to have several on hand just in case for me. If I need replacements, the staff have several waiting that I can go buy in bulk. Did you snap it in the nose bridge? Or on the part where the ear pieces connect to the glasses?"

Seeing that she didn't mean to make fun of his glasses, Fred felt a bit better. But he still was a bit sensitive about them. But he recalled over the years, all the crazy things the woman beside him had done to her glasses, and had to laugh as well. She prioritized being able to see, over what the glasses looked like. It made for some strange repairs on mysteries when she only had so much on her to make the fix. From duct tape, to crazy glue, wrapped fabric and coiled fishing line that she covered in something to make it stay. And she didn't mind looking odd if it meant they caught the bad guy in the end.

"They broke straight down the center. And the repair would have been a nerd bandage fix. So, I didn't want Daphne to get wind of it and stalk me with her camera." Fred admitted. While Daphne was nice about him having glasses, he didn't think she would have been able to help herself had he wore his glasses with tape repair on the nose bridge. He would have rather used it like a monocle than worry about Daphne going crazy.

"Oh man, I totally understand. Daphne and her camera..." Velma said with a shiver. Having been on the receiving end many times of her best friends delight of a photogenic opportunity.

"Though that is a rare break, technically. I have had my glasses break more often on the sides of the bridge, where the glasses meet the plastic or metal. Or have an issue with the ear piece breaking off, or the screw on the sides failing. The classic middle nose piece is actually really hard to break on your own. It tends to need some outside force to happen, like a nerd being punched in the face by a bully... Or a silly man sitting on it without knowing." Velma chuckled.

She could only remember clearly one time that her glasses had snapped clean in half before. She had gotten hit on the face during a mystery due to some trap that the bad guy had set up, and glasses had already been pretty old and beaten up at the time. But the trope of the look still prevailed, even though the break was harder to do. Probably due to movies and TV giving it to poor picked on and bullied individuals. So at least it made sense for the break, even though she wasn't sure Hollywood knew the truth behind the placement. Though glasses composition and build materials probably had something to do with it.

"Well, rare break or not. I just waited till I got these." Fred admitted, which Velma nodded. "...What was the second thing?"

"Oh, I did say that before I derailed. Well the second thing was a question. What happened to your bookmark?" Velma wondered, flicking her own sticking out of her book. A simple laminated piece of paper with dragons on it, going with the book that she was reading. Which didn't surprised Fred at all, he bet that she had a lot of themed bookmarks. Depending on what she was reading at the time.

"I had a small piece of ripped paper in it, but I think I lost it between here, to the library and back." Flipping the pages, he gave another look and didn't find it slid further down any of the pages.

"We might have to fix that later then." Velma said with a nod. Pulling out one of her backups from her hidden pocket, she slid the bookmark into his pages.

"Ah, thanks. Though again, I'm almost done." Taking the bookmark, he tucked it in between two fingers as he flipped through the book easier now that he could see. He found his place quickly, and got sucked back in to the story. Velma chucked, but left him alone in his own tales as she returned to her own.

Time passed by a bit, before Fred started to unconsciously make noises which drew Velma's attention. His brows were furrowed, and he seemed to be a bit twitchy. Shifting in the seat as he read, making it move. It seemed that the story wasn't going so well, or so she guessed. Trying to keep reading, she got interrupted again.

"No."

Fred muttered with a huff.

"No no no... Dang it no."

With a bit of worry on her face, Velma knew it was just in the book that was stressing Fred out. Knowing full well that she had yelled at books before for doing something she didn't want in the story. So, Velma assumed it was something like that. But what, she didn't know having not read the book before.

"What's wrong?"

Shoving the bookmark angrily into the open pages, Fred clapped the pages closed with an annoyed sigh.

"The first book had been really good, but now the second book pulls **that**! So frustrating!" Fred snorted, rapping the cover of the book with the back of his hand.

"What did it do?" Velma could think of many things books have done wrong... She could write a paper or three on those facts. but she didn't know particularly which was flustering Fred in this story.

"So, this is a mystery book. And like normal mystery books, you are supposed to leave clues for the reader to follow along with the investigations of the main character, right?" Fred pointed out, earning a nod in agreement from Velma. That was the normal protocol of most mysteries. Pretty standard so far.

"Yeah, well this book decides to take all of that and then toss it out of the window at the last second!" Fred grunts frustrated. "I had been gathering all the clues, following the path the book set before me. And then in the last few pages, they tossed in a curveball and made all the clues that we have tracked down, and almost got caught trying to collect, obsolete! They added in this random room in the basement, with a bunch of cult stuff. The reveal of that room took all the clues pointing to this very believable and logical end culprit, shift to a pair of barely mentioned maids that made no sense until that last-minute reveal."

"I hate when they do that." Velma agreed, understanding all too well why Fred was upset. You feel like you are a part of the story, if the tale is written well enough. So, doing something like that, feels like the writer is out to sabotage all your hard work.

"It had been going so well. I was so caught in the various character dynamics, villains, tense clue hunting moments, random gardening tips... And they even made mention of Scooby in the series." Fred added with a small chuckle.

"Oh? How did our famous mutt end up in that book series?" Velma wondered, casting a glance at the house were the dog in question had been sleeping last she knew. Probably still sprawled out on Shaggy, belly up and not a care in the world.

"Well, not him himself. But the main character in the first book befriends and eventually owns a once abused black great Dane. She names him Shakespeare."

"A good name."

"Yeah, but she often refers to him having Scooby like qualities. Floppy ears, long tongue and a comical expression. But I guess when you add a Great Dane into a mystery story, it's hard not to think of our own goofy Dane. Though I wonder if the writer asked permission before they wrote the mention? Not that I don't think Shaggy would mind that sort of thing." Fred pointed out. Knowing that Shaggy was pretty laid back about most things. So, he and Scooby wouldn't have minded being made mention in a book.

"Yeah, I am not surprised. Though I am not sure if Daphne owns the trademarks, or Shaggy does. Since the Blake's own the rights to Scooby Snacks, since her father's company is the ones that make it now. And I bet that has a trademark on it."

"Yeah. Not sure. Though that is so annoying. I was really enjoying it when the author up and did that. Now I don't feel like finishing it." Fred grumbled, feeling disappointed in what had been a really entertaining series.

"Sorry Fred. I know that feels though. I hate when a mystery messes with the essentials of a good mystery, and breaks the Fair Play rule. When we split up for a while and I first moved into my bookstore, I thought about writing mystery novels. I didn't get far, but I did a lot of research. A few of the writing books I found, mentioned the various essential things that you need for a good mystery book. Using and citing old stories, like Edgar Allan Poe's first mysteries, to point out the formulas that seemed to have existed and are critical for a good mystery." Velma still had a lot of those books in the house behind them, though probably stored in some box in the storage room upstairs.

"Edgar Allan Poe wrote mysteries? I only really know him for his famous stories. Like Tale Tell Heart, and The Raven." Fred had never heard of a Poe mystery. But then again, he wasn't as big of a fan of the man's work compared to the woman sitting beside him.

"Apparently, Poe wrote most of his works either depressed or drunk. Being a terrible alcoholic, though life was really hard for the man, so it's understandable that he drank. Poverty, in and out of jobs, and frustration of writing to live helped shape the stories we know of him. Obviously, a lot had to happen to a man to get the things that Poe was able to write about. But for one job, he was told to shape up... and to keep himself sane, he wrote a small collection of mystery novels. They weren't called that at the time, since Mystery writing didn't actually exist yet, but it would be later cited as the first composition of a story with points that would later be standard in mystery writing. But one thing that Poe accidently touched on, was the act of Fair play. The act of giving the readers the same clues at the detective had, so they can solve alongside of the writer's words."

Velma felt like it was up to the writer to put in enough information for the astute reader to be able to figure out the answer and culprit, but needed to plant enough seeds of doubt to make them question their deductions and give a fulfilling conclusion those who worked through the facts and found the truth.

"Yeah." Fred thought about it. The first book was great, and really followed the normal rules of a mystery. And let him work side by side to help solve it by the end. But the second book, really broke that trust. And made him reluctant to finish and even try the next book. Though he could hop that they learned from the failure of the second book, and return to the format that worked in the first one.

"Well, don't give up. Take a break, sure. Let the frustration wear itself out and then go back to it. It's not fair to the book to lay unfinished." Velma said, pointing at the book. Where the bookmark sat, there was still enough pages left that might still have something happen that would be worth it.

"Hm, yeah. But maybe later." Dropping the book, Fred made sure it landed nearby enough that he won't forget it. It was a library book after all. Sighing, he leaned against the seat and made the whole thing tilt backwards and recline in the chains. Throwing his arms around the back, he clung to the back of the chair, and accidently around her shoulder. Velma stared at the hand for a bit, looking back to Fred who was staring up at the ceiling grumpily. Rocking the seat lightly as he tried to get past the unfairness of the authors choices.

Letting him vent, Velma moved back to her own book. Nibbling on the end of her bookmark, she got absorbed in her own story. Not caring that she had read it a million times, or that she probably could recall the story by heart. But she still enjoyed reading the book now and then.

With the wind gently drifting by, and the light rustling of the fall leaves against Fred's bad mood... It was hard for Fred to stay grumpy. Especially with the seeping warmth of Velma by his side, keeping that part of him warm. The fact that she was there, was nice, and helped against the disappointment. Soon, he wasn't able to keep up the grumbling and turned his attention to Velma.

"So... What are _you_ reading?"

* * *

 _Notes from the Writer:_

 _Fred's thoughts are like my own when I read that Book. Fruit of the Poisoned Tree. I had just started writing Scooby and considered trying to write some mysteries. So I bought a mystery book, to try seeing how a professional went about it. Amazing enough, the first book I grabbed off the shelf, had two references to Scooby in it. (Pretty Poison) So I thought it was fate._

 _But when I read book two, it did that to me. Now, I know I have an imperfect memory, but I remember the book pulling the clue rug out from under me, and I still am a bit sour from it. Maybe eventually I will have to go back to the series. (It has like 8 books now) but I tried to start book 3, and never got very far. I'll have to try it again._

 _Also, according to Hillary Waugh's Guide to Mysteries & Mystery Writing, Edgar Allan Poe is the granddad of the Mystery genre. Writing "The Murders of Rue Morgue", "The Mystery of Marie Roget", "The Purloined Letter", "The Gold Bug" and "Thou Art Man" that can be attributed to the first of the style ever made. At least in fiction. Neat, huh? Not something I knew about mysteries. For writing Velma... she's smarter then me. So I have to do a lot of research for writing, so she sounds like she knows what she is talking about XD _

_Sorry for babbling, but I hope it provided a insight to the story._

 _~Toki_


	3. Cold Day, Warm Heart

"So... What are you reading?"

He said with a slight shiver against the breeze that had the wrong bit of timing to his question. Enough that she noticed movement against herself.

Drawing her attention away from her book, she tossed the bookmark into the pages before turning to him. Squinting a detective eye at him, she looked him over from where he lounged on the love seat. Turning to the hand on her shoulder, she picked up the edges of his white shirt and opened it to peer at it. Prodding slightly up the arm just in case something got bunched. But she didn't find what she was looking for.

Squinting more, she turned to him and poked him a few times in the shoulder. Glancing at his collar, and noting what she saw. Setting her face into a grumpy look at the clues she was seeing.

"...I might not be as skilled as Daphne, but I can tell that you are not wearing your normal blue shirt under there. Feels like something sleeveless, at the lack of well... sleeves. No wonder you are shivering. Your white shirt isn't thick like my sweater is. Why did you go out in the cold and not put on more?"

She accused him, giving his chest a poke. Not understanding why he had gone out earlier and not put on more. Even she had put on a scarf and hat. (Ignoring that she was still wearing her classic skirt in the chilly wind, but for some reason she never had cold legs. The Cold tended to be more in her finger tips, neck, face and head.) Not wanting to get sick because she didn't bundle up enough.

"Well, it was warmer earlier." Fred said with a shrug. He didn't need much when he had gone to the library, and so he only put on what he needed at the time. Taking off his glasses, he placed them into his case and returned it back to his pocket.

"Why don't you go inside and change, if you're chilly?" Velma offered, not wanting him to catch a cold just because they were reading. Seemed silly. And it was not like she planned to go anywhere. She would still be here when he got back.

"But I am warm. You're keeping me warm for the most part. The cold just blew on the back of my neck. And without my collar, my ascot is lower and some of my neck is exposed." Fred pointed out, reaching into his collar to pull out his beloved neck wear. He returned it back in his collar before scooting an inch closer to Velma to get more of her radiating heat against him, earning a blush from her. Turning her head away from him, not wanting him to notice the flushed face she was making. Waiting for it to go away, before she continued, but now being aware of how much he was leaning against her.

' _For warmth, as he said..._ ' She mentally rationalized.

But being so close, she felt him shake again as another wind blew by and hit his neck again. Making the man move uncontrollably as his body reacted without permission against the breeze.

Sighing, she shook her head at him. Placing her book on her lap, she shifted to unwind some of her scarf. Shooting him a sideways glance, rolling his eyes once before she made her move.

Grabbing part of the shoulder of the arm around her, she pulled on him to lean more and get him closer. It was a bit of a pain that she had fight against him being over a foot taller than herself, but she had more than enough length on her long scarf to make up for it. ' _Curse his height._ ' She grumbled to herself in her own mind.

His eyes shot open more as she did this. As he opened his mouth to say something, she flipped the end of her wide scarf around him and over his mouth. Cutting off what he was planning on saying. Letting him go with the one hand, she pulled the end of the scarf to make sure that it covered the whole of the back of his neck. Adjusting it for a bit before she was happy with its position. Then she returned to what she had been doing, plucking the book from where it had shifted as she moved.

So, they were now joined. The one end hanging down her chest, wrapping around the back of her neck before coming to the front of her throat. Arching in the small open space between them, the wide scarf covered half of his face, from chest to the tip of his nose, then wrapped around the back of his neck before the end draped down his shoulder and chest.

' _Mm... it smells like Velma._ ' Fred thought, enjoying the light scent coming off of the scarf. It was slight enough that he almost missed it, but being pressed into his nose he was able to catch it. It was probably from her shampoo.

"Getting back on topic. So, I'm reading A Dragon-Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic. A collection of short stories and snippets of stories that have to do with various types of dragons and dragon tales. And a range of emotions of the stories as well. Like "The DragonBone Flute" and "The Ice Dragon" are sober, and serious. Still amazing stories, but with a serious tone. And "A Drama of Dragons" is absolutely ridiculous. With a princess and a dragon taking their comedian act on the road." Velma chucked, shaking her head. The book was a great collection of all sorts, and a favorite to pick up now and then to refresh her memory with the tales.

" _Mmffm mrr muu mffrg mnm_?(What are you reading now?)" Fred muffled through the scarf, not thinking to take it down before trying to talk. The thick material was not only great to keep warm, but apparently make conversations through it difficult. It wasn't his intention to be hard to understand, but more laziness on his part. Enjoying how warm it was making him. And having to move it, would then invite the cold in.

"Hm?"

She turned to look at him, but didn't miss the twinkle in his eyes as he repeated his scarf mumble without moving to shift the hindering material and speak clearer. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and then nodded his nose at her book. As if she was supposed to know what he said and give him a proper answer.

'Well, if that is how he wants to do it... Two can play at that game.'

She roughly knew what he meant, the head motions and his earlier question was enough to give her clues to his intent. So, she was going to act accordingly.

"Well, after you told me about your issues with your book, I was just started a new chapter. A neat story, which is one of my favorites. It is called The George Buin _mff. Mm mmrme mmf mm mmammn mff mmn mme mfm fmmumr..._ (Business. A story of a dragon who can see the future.)"

Pulling herself into her turtleneck, her motion was true to the name of her favorite sweater. Pulling in herself, burrowing into the sweater and scarf that saw around her neck. Like a turtle pulling into its shell. She could do this too, if he wanted to be a brat and not move the scarf temporarily to talk to her. After all she had been nice enough to offer it to help keep him warm. The least he could do was not be a butt while she was trying to hold a conversation with him. Making her have to resort to his level. She met his eyes, raising an eyebrow, before wiggling her eyebrows back at him. Giving him a taste of his own medicine.

" _Mm hm, mmrnmm mnm? Mh, mmng mm mn_. (oh ho, really now? Ok, bring it on.)" Tilting his head to one side, he nodded his head towards her and winked. Before wiggling his eyebrows back at her.

Challenge accepted!


	4. Winner, Loser, and a Claimed Prize

Staring at each other for a moment, they sized up the other opponent. Bound by cloth and material. Though they couldn't separate too far, or lose the cover of the joint scarf. So, it was more stares and glances than anything else.

" _Mm, mht mr mm mmng m mm mnmn?_ (So, what are you going to do Jones?)"

As Velma was talking, Fred knew that his victory was assured to his accidently advantage he had given himself by putting away his glasses earlier. He watched slowly as she talked, the edges of her glasses creeping into her line of sight with fog from her own breath while talking. And knowing her, she would eventually fog it up enough to drive her nuts and dive to fix it. Breaking the stalemate. All he had to do was keep her going.

Velma didn't miss the twinkle in his eyes. But she didn't know what it meant more than that he was up to something. Unable to detect what it was with the few clues he was providing. Not knowing his devious plan against her.

" _Mm mmnmm, m mvff mn mnnl mft mn mmnd, mff mmp. mft mfv, mmn mnn. Mnflm?_ (Oh really, I have no clue what you said, but yep. Whatever, yes yes. Really?)" He tried to end in a question, hoping to provoke her to talk more with his mumbling inflections. Pointing to the book, flicking the tail of the bookmark even though it had nothing to do with what he had said past the scarf.

Looking at the book when he gestured towards it, she lightly caressed the cover. She had owned the book for years, and it showed in the little bits of well-loved wear on the book. Thankfully nothing dramatic that might hinder the book's structural integrity as a whole. A small crease ran off center of the cover, most likely caused by transporting the book somewhere and catching the cover on something. Or maybe in her old backpack. And the corners of the spine were squished ever so slightly, probably from being leaned on while reading over the years. And a few visible dog ears on pages, to mark them for later reading.

" _Mf mm m mnflm mmd mmk, ml mvff mm mnd mf mn mn mf mmnm mmim mf mn mr... mff... mnfmrnd._ (It is a really good book, I'll have to lend it to you at some time if you are... huff... interested.)"

It was slowly working. The chill was in his favor, making her struggle against her loss of sight. But it was more fighting against the urge to clean it off. All she needed was a bit more before she would cave.

" _Mm mnflm mmnt mn mnk m, mf mmrf mf mrn._ (I really want to thank you, the scarf is warm.)" Bobbing his head, he made random motions to keep her distracted from his actual goal.

" _Mm mnw mm ml mmk m mmw mf mmns. Mff... Mm mv md mmf mmk mf mmrs, mm mrfsnm mff mm mvffnt mmn mm mnd mfs... mmb..._ (I know you will like a few of these. Huff... I have had the book for years, I'm surprised that you haven't see me read this... befo...)"

"PAH!"

Velma couldn't stand it anymore!

Popping out from where she had been tucking her neck to hide into the scarf and her turtleneck, she had to come up for air and fix her glasses. She had a hard-enough time when her glasses were off, with not being able to see more than blobs. But she shouldn't be having this much trouble seeing, with her glasses still on her nose! It was almost as bad as a greasy thumbprint on the lenses.

Whipping the glasses off her face, she sought out a corner of her sweater to help wipe clean so that she could see again. Fussing a bit to make sure the plastic was clear before returning it to her nose.

"Heh, I win." Fred chuckled a tiny bit smugly over the edge of the scarf.

"..."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she just figured out what the twinkle had been. Having glasses himself, he knew of the issues with fog and she played right into his hands. He had taken his own off, though probably not intentionally for this advantage. But she doubted that the earlier disappointment was a ruse, and well she had put the scarf on him out of a whim. So, it wasn't something he could have account for.

"Yes, you win. What do you want as a prize?" She had to give it to him, she lost fair and square. Thinking about it, he placed a hand to the side of his face to give it a thought. But nothing immediately came to mind.

"... I don't know yet. But I interrupted you. Sorry. You were talking about George and a Dragon?"

He had actually been curious about the story, but ended up starting a muffle war with the woman. As fun as it was. He did want to know more about the book. Thinking that he might want to borrow it when she was done.

"Ah, yeah. It is about a Dragon and a Man named George. Though not like the famous dragon slaying, per say. The dragon in that story actually has the ability to have precognitive dreams. And he dreams about a man named George coming over and over again in different armors to kill him. And wakes up to find a George approaching his cave. But instead of fighting, the two end up helping each other in the act of Dragon slaying."

"So, the knight and the dragon pretend to fight, so that... what? What is their end game?" Fred wondering, trying to think of why a knight might want to fight a Dragon, but not actually fight him.

"Well, George has a lady he really likes..."

"Oh, that makes perfect sense." What knight doesn't have the maiden to save?

"... Yeah. So, to win the heart of the maiden, George has Dart the dragon attack the castle and steal the woman away for George to 'rescue'." Velma really liked the name Dart for the dragon. It was something new, and more... well mundane and normal for that world compared to some of the other dragon's names in the book. Like Gorbash, Mnementh, Mlakazar and Hubert... ok, Hubert wasn't as bad. But Dart was nice and simple.

Fred laughed, finding the idea entertaining. Sounds like something he might do, had he been George.

"So, it works well I take it?"

"Well, sort of. It seems that woman likes more brawny men, and so this is the way that smaller, smarter George would be able to win her over. The only problem was that he didn't know that she had gotten married that morning, to one of those burly men."

"Ouch, poor guy."

"Well, there is more. George comes to let Dart know how things turned out. He tells him about the marriage, though is now sporting a new horse, armor and money from the grateful Baron of the castle, who was the new husband since the maiden's father died before George got back. They lament about how well the battle went, when Dart gets an idea and offers to in turn, pay George for his services so that he might be able to woo a dragoness that he had his eye on."

"But that doesn't go well I take it?" Fred assumed, thinking back to the premonition the dragon had at the beginning of the story.

"Yeah, same thing happens to him. His dragoness got a mate before he knew it. But it ends pretty neat, with George and Dart bonding over their losses, and complimenting each other for their plan. And taking their show on the road. Since there is always a need for a Hero." Velma chuckled, enjoying sharing the story with Fred.

"Ha, yeah. That sounds pretty fun to read. I'll have to borrow it from you when you are done."

"Oh, don't worry. I have had this for years. I probably could tell you the stories in order, and recall most of the authors at this point." Velma said with a laugh, closing the book and holding it out for him to take. Shaking the book his way a few times for him to take it. Happy to share some of her collection with Fred, for him to enjoy and get him hooked.

"Oh, well thanks."

Reaching up, his hand brushed against her own as he tried to take the book. Stopping suddenly, he was shocked at the feeling. The tips of her fingers were freezing!

Tugging the book out of her hand, he placed it between the two of them and moved to feel her hand. It was cold all over, but the tips themselves were little popsicles.

"Gah, your hands are so _cold_."

She was worried at first when he pulled the book away from her, but then snickered when she found out he was only reacting to her chilly fingertips. She wasn't sure if it was just bad circulation at times, or what. But often when she was working on something, all the heat would drain out of her hands and when she stopped, her hands would be cold. And well, the chilly breeze outside wasn't helping, even though it was still a decently warm day overall.

Shaking his head, Fred got it in his mind to fix it. His father used to do something to warm up his mom's hands when they were cold, so he would use that. Clapping his hands together. He then moved to rub them forcefully against one another to build up heat from the friction of his hands. Fred didn't know if the clap actually added to the heat production, but it was what his dad had always done, so it was what he did.

When he figured he had built up enough warmth, he quickly tugged Velma's hands together to engulf them in his larger and now radiating heat heads.

"~!~"

Velma melted slightly into the love seat as her freezing hands were met with Fred's friction based heat. It felt so nice on her hands, and she had such tiny hands that he was able to fully cover them in his grasp.

"Mmmmmm... That's nice."

"Heh, glad to be of service. But you'll have to thank my dad for that. He does this to my mom when her hands are cold, and he did it to me as well when I was little. Simple friction." Fred rubbed her hands a few times before letting them go, feeling that he had gotten them at least past the point of being compared to frozen dairy products. Wanting to kiss her finger tips to make sure, but didn't want to press it. As tempting as it might be.

"God to know there is more to your dad then his crazy love of taking pictures of me." Velma snorted through a smile. Though Fred knew that she secretly loved when he got a good shot of her, even though she would never admit it.

Reaching back for the book, Velma tugged it from between them and plucked her bookmark out from where she had placed it. Holding the large paperback for Fred to take.

"Noooooo... you just lost your place." Fred whined, feeling bad that she just did that. Thinking that he didn't need to have her bookmark gone, for him to be able to read the book. Not the first time they shared a book, though it happened less since they were out of high school.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Though would you like to use it? To keep the dragon bookmark with the book, so you won't lose your place when you read it?" Velma offered, holding out he little laminated Dragon bookmark. "It's better than a piece of paper and won't get lost as easily."

"... but... That's your bookmark." Fred pouted, not wanting to take it away from her. Since he was pretty sure that she had made it herself. Using the lamination machine, she had in the basement and some neat dragon stickers on the paper she used. The punching a hole and tying some dark maroon string for the tail, making it easy to find where the bookmark was nestled in the pages…

Which gave him an idea!

"I know what I want as a prize now!" He said chipperly, holding up the book and giving it a small shake in his hands excitedly. Earning a raised eye brow look from Velma. Not making the connection and puzzled on what he might be wanting to claim, and what it might entail. Not sure she wanted to know, but curiosity winning out.

"Oh?"


	5. Well

Oddly enough, it was Fred who was regretting his masterful plan and prize. He just **had** to have opened his big mouth and say something to her, not knowing what he would have unleashed. And soon he was swept up in one of her plans for once.

 _Is this how the rest of the gang feels when I do that to them?_

"I feel like we are doing this backwards... Why am I on top?"

"Because I'm wearing a skirt. So, we are going to do this my way."

"Are you sure this is the best way to do this?"

"You doubt my idea?"

"No... no. I just hope I'm not hurting you down there."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it. This is going to end up better than you think. Trust me. It will come out great. Worth all the effort."

"Sigh, alright. Let get this over with before Daphne finds us, and brings out her camera. Catching us vulnerable like this."

Resigning himself, Fred shifted his position on Velma's shoulders to continue working. She had a firm grip on his legs, and was prepared to catch him if anything happened. To make his prize... a Velma Original Bookmark.

It didn't take Velma long to ponder the concept and get an idea. She wanted to gather some leaves from the trees nearby for her scheme, thinking about it since they had cleaned up earlier and she knew exactly how to transform it into an amazing bookmark for him. They just needed to collect the right parts to put her plan into action.

Velma had then crouched down, so that Fred would be able to climb on her shoulders and reach up into the nearby tree to get the right colors that the sugar maple that she had selected, contained in its bounty. And she had let him keep the scarf, in case he got hit by breeze up there. Tucking the scarf around his neck before he got on her.

"I never really paid attention to this tree to notice that is holds all the colors of fall in one tree. Is it always like this?"

Fred commented, as he was picking the various colors to collect a few of each for them to work with. As Velma had instructed. Reds, Yellows, Oranges, and even some full green leaves sat on various branches, though they seemed to like different heights, which is why Fred was standing on Velma to be able to reach all the different layers.

"Yeah, the Sugar maple is known for its highly variable but usually outstanding range of colors in autumn. Unlike some trees which shift to all one color, this tree can have all the different colors at once. Though slightly annoying since they tend to bunch up in colored sections, and require a bit of climbing to get to all the colors. Oof."

Velma pointed out, sharing what she knew of this particular tree. Though it was a bit amazing to her, that this little tree had managed to thrive in the suburban environment after all these years. (Though a bit stunted compared to its more forest counterparts) Since most of the time root disturbances and pollution take a toll on the tree's constitution and kill off most sugar maples. But this tree was a survivor. And thankfully Shaggy and Scooby didn't know that you could make syrup from the sugar maple, helping to keep this tree around longer.

"Remind me again why we just didn't have our resident gymnast climb his butt up and get all the colors for us?" Fred wondered, trying to not shift too much to have his shoes dig into Velma's shoulders through her sweater. Since he was literally standing on her. Hoping to finish gathering the colors without putting too much pressure on her shoulders, and crushing the leaves he had already collected. Using the tree itself to help him keep balance and pressure off of Velma when he could.

"Last time I saw Shaggy, he was passed out cold in the living room. So, I would rather not wake him up, if I can help it. Plus, it is more meaningful if we gathered it ourselves for the bookmark."

Velma didn't have the heart to wake someone up if they were napping, unless she had no other choice. It probably stemmed from the countless nights that she had worked until dawns early light, to get something done in time for a deadline, or project that she was working on. So being able to sleep, was something she didn't take for granted. Also a few bouts of insomnia now and then didn't help. She also felt extra bad for Shaggy and Scooby, since their bad luck with monsters and the like tended to make for sleepless nights on a mystery. So, if they were out, she didn't want to wreck whatever nice dream they might be having.

"Ah, when I left earlier, they had been hanging out after... uh... second breakfast? Or was it Elevenses? ...Whatever name they called that meal. They probably crashed soon after then." Fred chuckled, trying to remember what Shaggy had told him earlier.

Shaking her head as well as she could, Velma sighed in amusement at the meal titles. Knowing full well where Shaggy might have gotten his naming convention from. The only problem was that Shaggy and Scooby tended to eat more than a Hobbit did, thus adding to the meal list with their own additions. _Midnight snacks_ and _Wee am's_ filling in the eating spectrum, as well as **NOW FOOD** being a floating term. And probably countless more depending on their whims at the time.

"Don't try to strain yourself trying to remember Fred. The dorks tend to change it up all the time. But yeah, food coma makes sense."

"Alright, I think I have enough. Let me down, please?"

Fred might have tried to hop down on his own, easily being able to land the under-five foot drop. An advantage with her being as short as she was. (Though he would never say it allowed, since she could be sensitive about her height.) But the death grip on his legs made that action hard. Since she was bracing to make sure he didn't fall.

"Ah, ok. Coming down!"

Velma called up to him, letting him know that she was about to move and for him to be ready for it. Kneeling, Velma used the tree to help them both get down. Putting up her hand for him to grip and then land without issue. Letting him help her, once he had his own shoes on the grass.

"Up you go. What do you think?" Once she was back to her feet, Fred then showed off the batch of leaves he had gathered for them. Having collected three of each color, just in case. Beaming a smile as he figured he did good, getting what they needed for the bookmark. Always up for making a plan work.

"Perfect! Now all we have to do is collect a few things inside and get started on building the bookmark. Though... Hm. Maybe we should go in from the back. Again, not wanting to wake up the duo from their nap. Since we would have to go through the front and into the living room where the pair have crashed."

Velma pointed out, plus they needed to go to the kitchen anyway. Fanning the leaves, she took stock before started to lead them to the backyard. Pausing a second to look back at Fred, who had moved to follow her. Giving him a bit of a look.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Velma offered, nodding her head to the porch.

"..." Thinking about it, he was trying to think of what she was talking about. Before he remembered that he had left the library book on the porch by the love seat. Not wanting to incur the wrath of the library lady if something was to happen to the book that he had borrowed. Moving to correct that. "Oh, shoot. Yeah. Let me get that."

Snickering, Velma waited till Fred trotted over to the book and grabbed it. She watched as he nabbed the book, and then paused, considering his options. Being lazy; Fred didn't run back around the front stairs, but instead hopped the porch railing to land on the ground next to her. Grinning, he nodded to let her continue to lead the way.

"Cheater." Velma snickered.

"I learned from the best." Fred beamed, falling in behind her with book in hand. Seeing that she hadn't let her own book go too far from her, having laid it next to the tree as he had been gathering leaves. And it was back in her grip as soon they were done. Must have been instinct for her by now, since she tended to have a book on hand most of the time.

"Yeah, Shaggy is good like that. Got to hand it to him and Scooby. When scared, they are able to get from point A to point B in any way possible. Running around, jumping over, or crashing through whatever is in their way." Velma laughed just thinking about it. Though doing track and field and gymnastics helped, she figured being chased by monsters was the main reason for his agile performances. Putting more parkour people to shame. Though she had scaled a few building in her time as well, knowing full well how monsters chasing you helped inspire desperate measures.

"Yeah, I bet he would do really amazingly in one of those parkour competitions. Though he really does his best when 'properly motivated'." Fred caught on Velma's train of thought, amused. Unless there was a food reward at the end of one of those challenges, Shaggy and Scooby would need someone dressed up and running after them to be able to pull off anything fancy in front of that many people.

"True, he is too laid back to really show off. Ah, here we go."

Pulling open the back door, Velma led them into the kitchen from the back yard. Looking around for a second, Velma considered the various surfaces in the kitchen to pull off her idea. Not that she needed much, but it was more of the location and the appliances around them. Trying to figure out the best, and most time effective location.

"Alright. This will work."

Choosing the island in the middle of the kitchen, Velma laid out of the various leaves. Placing them in piles of each of the colors, over lapping slightly. Giving them one more inspection before seeing that they all suited her needs. Her brain running through everything they would need to make the most out of what they had. Making a mental checklist of the materials and where they might be hiding in the house. Not wanting to forget something and have to go and get it while the rest was working. Though there was two of them, so it wouldn't be an issue as much if she was alone.

"Ok, so we got the leaves. I am figuring that you have something more than just layering them on a piece of paper, and then cutting them into bookmarks."

Fred mused, leaning on the edge of the island to poke at one of the leaves. That would be too easy after all. This was Velma after all, she wouldn't be content enough to do something simple as that. Which got Fred even more interested in what she was concocting in that brain of hers. Seeing the wheels turn in her head.

"You have that look in your eye when you are up to something. What do you have in mind, and how can I help?" Fred said with a grin. Knowing the woman all too well.

"W _ell..._ " Velma said, drawing it out for dramatic effect.


	6. Skeletons in the Kitchen

"Leaf Skeletons. I want to make a few of them to overlap for the bookmark for you. I thought it would be neat, and you did help me clean the porch off with the leaves earlier." Velma finally revealed, not wanting to keep him waiting long. Sure, she liked a nice cliffhanger, but she knew that you needed to eventually reveal the rest of the plot for it to work properly.

"Leaf Skeletons?"

Fred wondered, picking up a leaf and giving it a look. Not exactly sure how you would make a skeleton out of something that was mainly a floppy piece of well... a leaf. Skeletons are usually hard bits of something, so Fred wasn't sure how you would make a skeleton out of something so soft.

"See the ribbing here. Look on the back of the leaf, it's easier to tell. See the vein work all along the back? It's easier to see the main kind of spine of the leaf, but that actually branches into many little off shoots that make up most of the leaf to deliver various needs of the plant. I could go into the crazy intricacies of stomata, transpiration, photosynthesis and the like. But we don't really need that for this project. So, I'll refrain so we can get to work on making these into your bookmark."

"I thank you for your restraint. Heh." Fred Chuckled. "Though I may take you up on that lecture another day. Never know when some crazy biologist might want to commit some crime while dressing up as some plant monster, and knowing that might come in handy."

"Botanist is more of a specific scientist for plants, but close enough. Biologists study life, so plants do fall into it... Have we ever faced a plant monster before?" Velma offhandly mentioned, though moved to give it some thought about all the bad guys they had run across. Monsters and ghosts were popular, but it was hard to think of a plant based monsters in the bunch. Tar yes, but was there any plant monsters or botany ghosts?

Fred gave it some thought. "Well, there was that one time we were helping Batman, and we faced that dryad. It turned out to be Joker inside, trying to keep us from Penguin's cave."

"Oh, yeah. Though that is more of a tree man. But still... Hm." The only leaves that Velma remembered was on top of the head of Joker's costume. It didn't really play off as a plant costume. Well, one that you would need to know more about how plants work, to solve the mystery. The Joker wasn't exactly a master in plants. Poison Ivy maybe, but not Joker.

"Didn't you once get chased by a kelp monster?" Fred tried to recall, mentally searching through the collection he had in his closet. But there had been so many, over so many years... So even though he had a copy of every monster they had ever faced, he wasn't able to recall them all. Though it was an easy fix, if they wanted to take the time to go and look through them all.

"Yeah, I think so. But I don't think it was just him. I think he was with other monsters or ghosts. And well, sea plants work slightly different than their terrestrial counterparts. But we are digressing. If we want to get this done today, we should start."

Velma pointed out. As much as she loved thinking about the various people that they caught, and talking science terms. They had a book mark to make! With **science!**

"Gotcha. What can I do?" Eager to get to work, to create these leaf skeletons and see the final product, Fred offered his services. Hoping that he wouldn't have to do anything too complicated. Not sure how complicated this process would be.

"Well, I need to get something downstairs. If you can get a pot and pour four cups of water in it, that would be great. Oh, and a wooden spoon too." Velma started to move towards the door, needing to get to the basement.

"Um... Just a pot, water, and a wooden spoon?"

"Yeah, make sure the pot is big enough to fit the leaves at the bottom, and cover them with the water and wait till I get back."

Waving over her shoulder, Velma left Fred to get the pot ready. Thankfully the basement stairs were right near the kitchen door, and she would be able to grab the small box without much incident. Though the basement was kind of quiet... Velma wasn't sure if Daphne was still locked in her darkroom, or she had moved upstairs to her room. It was hard to see the red light without moving further towards the room, and Velma was more interested in making the bookmark then...

"Shoot."

Forgetting that she needed the lamination machine and other parts for the bookmark, Velma was going to have to press further into the basement then she had originally intended. Crossing the room with box in hand, she leaned and saw that the red light was indeed still on. And she was safe from her best friend's curiosity... _for now_.

Grabbing the machine from her shelf, she found the various other bits see needed to make the bookmark. Tossing them into a nearby cardboard box, she figured it would be the best way to transport all that she needed. From her lamination papers, various string and ribbons, cutting tools, hole punch and cardstock in several colors. And the box that she had come down for. Figuring she had everything, she then headed back upstairs to Fred.

"What took you so long?"

Fred joked, as she came back with the box of goodies. Earning a look from Velma, since she hadn't actually taken that much time to get everything. But for Fred, it really didn't take that long to find a pot, and put water into it. And locate where Shaggy and Scooby hid the wooden spoons. Longest amount of time was Fred just figuring out which of the many spoons, to actually use. Which still didn't take all that long.

"Are you sure Shaggy and Scooby will be ok with using their pot?" Fred wondered, looking over at the beloved container.

"If they do, tough." Velma said with a huff, looking through the box. "They have borrowed so many of my things, that I need to get back for the countless times they have used my stuff. But I doubt they would care, as long as it's able to be used after cleaning it. This isn't going to explode or corrode the pot in any way that the guys can't use it once we are done."

"Heh, true." Fred could recall many times that the guys had 'borrowed' something of hers for one of their many food experiments. So, she should be allowed to yoink something for her own project. Though Fred was a tiny bit relieved that there would be no combustion, or melting of pots or limbs with this idea. He liked his hands. How else would he build traps, if he lost them...?

 _Though worse came to worse..._ Fred bet Velma could make him really cool prosthetic robotic replacements! But he wasn't exactly jumping to become the six-million-dollar man if he could help it.

"So, what now. The water is in the pot here. I figured we might be using the stove, right?" Fred asked, taking it upon himself earlier to figure out what she might be doing with the little clues that she had given him.

"Yeah." With box in hand, Velma moved to the pot and was about to grab the measuring cup that Fred had used to put in the four cups, when she realized that it was still a bit wet. But she solved it rather easily with a paper towel. Measuring out three fourths of the powder from the box, she put it down and then poured the contents into the water. Taking up the spoon, she started to mix it while Fred picked up the box to hold it into reading range.

"...Washing... Soda?" Fred read out slowly, being lazy enough to not want to pull out his reading glassed unless he had too. Though he knew of Baking soda, and washing detergent. He wasn't exactly sure what Washing Soda was, unless it was another name for something he used under a different name.

"Washing Soda is a powerful cleanser and water softener. An older type of traditional cleaner. It's rich in sodium and can be made from the ashes of seaweed, kelp and other vegetation, though currently it is usually derived from limestone." Falling into technobabble, Velma informed Fred of Washing's soda's many uses and useful information for later use.

"...Also, known as soda ash or soda carbonate, washing soda has many applications. Sometimes used to remove grease, oil and even wine stains. It competes with magnesium and calcium ions in hard water, which prevents the magnesium and calcium from bonding with the laundry soap and rendering it ineffective. In other words, it's used as a booster to make homemade laundry soap more effective. I personally use it to add to my current detergent mixture that I made downstairs. But find it useful for other things, so I don't just mix it all in."

"Wow, neat. I guess it's going to wash stuff away to make the skeletons." Fred knew that there were more complicated things going on, but _boiled_ down... That was probably what would happen.

"Yeah. We just need to put the leaves into the solution, bring it to a boil, and let the mixture do its chemical magic on the outside. It will then turn the waxy layers into a pulp that we can remove to make the skeletons. Another reason that the maple leaves are good for this. Waxier leaves seem to work better, if I remember my notes correctly from High school." It had been a while since Velma had made one of these, so she was looking forward to working on it with Fred.

It was always fun to run around with Fred on a mystery and figure out all the crazy clues and bits and bobs for Fred's crazy trap plans. But often they didn't get to do many things outside of those instances, especially just the two of them. Velma was really looking forward to enjoying Fred's company and doing something nice for just them.

"And that's it?" Fred brought over the leaves, and put them into the pot with the liquid. Watching Velma just click on the oven and give the pot an absent-minded swirl with the spoon as she talked to him.

"And you learned this in High School? Hm, I don't think my science teacher ever covered this." Fred tried to think back, but he figured he would have recalled something like this. Especially since it wasn't too overly complicated to forget, compared to other science projects. Though Fred bet he could still make a baking soda volcano if he really needed too.

"Actually, it was an art class I took, that I learned this from. I took it as an elective to fill up my schedule, making sure I didn't have any free periods on purpose."

"Ne _eeeeeeee_ rd." Fred retorted with a grin. Leaning against the counter to watch her stir the pot.

"Says you, _Mister_ Student Council President." Velma snorted back, but without her normal sharp sarcasm. She knew full well that he was joking with his comment, and well... He worked hard in High school, even with them always being off on some mystery. How he was able to keep up with school events and such, without losing track, she didn't know. Probably just his trait of being a good leader, and having the right people in the right places.

"Well, now the harder part of this whole process... Waiting." Velma adjusted the water, since it came to a boil. Making sure it was just under the boiling point, to simmer the leaves in the liquid so they would be able to eventually remove it to reveal the delicate skeleton on the inside.

"How long will it take?" Fred didn't mind waiting, he could start reading one of the stories from Velma's dragon book. Worst case. Though it was nice to just hang out and spend some time with Velma. Even if it was just watching her stir and chatting.

"About an hour. So, buckle up and batten down. The wait will be worth it though, once we get this all prepped." Velma said encouragingly, knowing how the end result would look. She knew Fred would really enjoy peeling back the layers and seeing the skeleton take shape.

"Ah, that won't take too long." Fred spoke, surprised at how quickly the project would take. Well, at least this part of it. Knowing that some of her projects that she did on her own, could take months. So this was far shorter than that!

Fingering the scarf still around his neck, Fred watched Velma lightly stirring. He noticed her shifting to randomly peer at the contents of the pot with a slight stretch of her neck, back and forth. Occasionally shifting her shoulder blades under her sweater as she worked the spoon around the pot.

"Hm..."


	7. Boiling and Babbling

Feeling bad that Velma was most likely rolling her shoulder due to him earlier, since he had stepped on her. He wanted to make amends for it. After all, she was going through all this work to help him. Even though he 'won', it still wasn't fair to take as much advantage of her... At least without _some_ compensation.

He was a gentleman after all. His mother raised him **right**!

Looking around the room, he spotted the nearby barstool type chair that Shaggy like to have around the middle island. Mainly it was there for the rest of the gang to perch on while Shaggy served them smaller meals. Or when the gang was feeling lazy and didn't want to cross all the way to the smaller table against on wall. Even more so, to have to go as far as the dining room past that and even in another room! So, it was in perfect range for nabbing and exactly what he was searching for.

Plucking the chair, Fred plopped it next to Velma with a light clunk. Before she could register what he was up too, Fred picked the woman up and shifted her into the chair. Sliding it under her as he moved the chair into place with a foot. Easily displacing the woman and putting her on something more comfortable as she worked.

"Freddie, what are you... oh. Oh! Well, thank you."

She wanted to be mad at the sudden pick up and deposit, (and it happened often for her to be disagreeable to the manhandling, unless there was a worthy enough reason.) but it was good to sit down. Plus, he was doing something nice for her, so it was hard to get annoyed at the nice gesture. Even if it was sudden and unexpected.

Not that stirring was hard, or that she had been at it for very long. But it was going to be a while, so eventually she would get tired of standing. And while she didn't need to totally babysit the pot, she wanted to make sure it didn't burn anything or break past the simmer point and ruin their future bookmark. It had been a while since she had done this procedure last, and didn't want to mess it up because she lapsed in her attention.

"You could warn me next time."

She snorted over one shoulder, smiling. Giving him her classic sideways smirk, tugging her face to one side. Shaking her head at the man before turning back to the project.

"That would be no fun." Fred responded simply, grinning back. "Plus, I'm not done **yet**."

"Wait, _what?!_ "

Eyes going wide at the thought of more to come, mind jumping to think of what that could entail. Unsure in that instant, what he could mean, and what would happen to her in response. Uneasy at the thought of what crazy thing he had in mind... And that was the only warning he gave her.

Thankfully due to the height of the chair, and her own small stature... It was easy to get at her shoulders from where she sat. The stool had a very short back rest. It made it easy for him over the edge and get at her back which held some tense knots he knew she had hiding. Not just from his earlier perching, but probably building up for a while due to various things she was known for working on. Not having the best posture as she bent over whatever project of hers. (Thankfully not as bad as Shaggy's though. His posture was a horror to think about.)

She tensed up as soon as he gripped her beside her neck. His verbal warning was not enough to fight against her natural reaction with being touched suddenly. Bristling like a started cat, he pushed fingers past her poofy sweater to get at the current mess that was her shoulders and upper back. But as his fingers did their magic, she soon melted once he got past the painful beginning and into the sweet relief she so desperately needed.

"Mmmmm _Mmmmm..._ "

Velma had forgotten how talented Fred's hands were with a nice massage. Normally Shaggy was more of the person who noticed her posture when she got bad enough that she really needed unwinding. (She was naturally stubborn. Only actually asking for it when her back got bad enough, that it made working almost impossible. Making her seek out relief. Otherwise she was less likely to say anything to anyone about it.)

Fred had learned to massage himself when he used to be Daphne's cameraman for Coast to Coast. Often mangling his own shoulders with the weight of the camera and all the gear he had to carry when they went guerrilla for a shoot. Or got stuck filming out somewhere crazy, and having to carry the camera for weird angles and dolly shots. So between his own self teaching, Shaggy's tips, his own large hands and skilled finger tips... Velma was reduced to a pile of jello. Hitting all the right spots and making her lean into his kneading, like Scooby with a nice ear scratch. Almost making her slip off the chair, as she shifted her weight into his hands and tilted off the stool.

"Now now, better to not get too comfortable... you stopped stirring."

Fred chuckled, as she squeaked at his comment and moved to get the pot back under control. A layer of bubbles was steaming up, rising up the side of the pot and inching towards the top to escape over the edge. Having to make Velma quickly dissipate the foam and get it under control. Though thankfully not messing up the leaves from her momentary distraction.

"Phew... That was close. Warn a girl, won't you?"

Velma grumbled though she didn't want him to stop. Since she really needed the kneading. Her neck was an utter mess, and her shoulders had been building up for a while now. (at least her posture wasn't as bad as Shaggy's) So while it hadn't been bad enough to warrant a complain to Shaggy for a fix, it was getting there. He was a fine back cracker.

"I did warn you." He snickered, knowing fully well that ' _I'm not done yet_ ' isn't a very clear type of warning. Dodging her quick handful of water she scooped out and flicked behind her at him. Aiming at his precious coif, to extract some revenge for what he had just done, but not go as far to make him stop. The water she used though, wasn't from the boiling pot in front of her. But instead had been nabbed some from what seemed to be a chip bowl that had been sitting in the sink to be washed, no doubt from the duo's early meal.

"Hey, watch the hair." He semi jested, taking a hand off her to check for damage in his beloved hair style. Patting it to make sure it was in one piece and looking his best. Earning another toss of water at him. Flicking her fingers to do maximum damage to the offended 'doo'.

Sure, he was being nice and all, and it felt really good... But it was far too easy to pick on him when he was acting like Daphne about his hair.

"Ok, ok... I surrender. I'll make sure to warn you properly next time." Fred chuckled and relented against the flickering water onslaught. Protecting his head from any more damage that she sought to inflict on him in revenge. But his hands didn't seem to be making a move to stop, so Velma again leaned into the motions while she lightly stirred the pot in front of her.

They enjoyed a small moment of silence before Fred grew curious enough to break it.

"So, you learned this from an Art teacher?"

Thinking through the several schools they had gone to over the years, elementary, Middle and High Schools, he wasn't sure which one she meant. Also, she had skipped a bunch of grades and wasn't always in the same year as one of them. He wasn't sure if he might know the teacher in question?

It took her a second to respond, since she was slightly distracted by his massaging and keeping her attention from the pot. He had to wait till all the words bounced around in her brain enough for her to garner a response.

"Oh, yeah. Her name was Miss Scyan. I had her in high school when I was there. But yeah, she was a bit of a weird teacher. Always was working on some project in the art room and actually encouraged students to visit her after school if they wanted to."

"She was a bit of an odd ball," Velma remembered, but then again, she was the art teacher. Some of it might have been more accepted then if she had been a history or math teacher. Though Velma did have her share of those as well. But a different kind of odd for them. Who really needed three 32oz steins of coffee before 6am? Apparently one of her math teachers, who milked a huge gas station type mug that was almost the size of her head, several times a day. So far to actually have squirreled a coffee maker into her back room, to be able to make more cups throughout the day. But Velma wasn't against a math teacher who gave her full sized, candy bars for getting 100% on her tests. Not like she needed the incentive like the rest of the class, but a yummy treat for a job well done wasn't something she would argue against.

"I don't think I took an art class in high school. But you would think I would have heard stories of a teacher like that? oh well." Fred shrugged, but only took his hands off long enough to express the shrug before going back to unwinding the crafty Velma before him.

"She actually made a plexiglass bird house so we could watch the local nesting birds with eggs in class. And made a Chinese New Year dancing dragon, out of paper Mache and soda bottle eyes. And almost set off the fire alarm more times than I can remember." Velma mentioned, trying to remember the things that they had done in class, that might have been stranger than normal art classes. Though her sense of 'normal' was bit skewed then probably other classmates.

"And well, Leaf skeletons." Velma pointed out, casting a hand at the pot before her.

"Maybe she wanted to be a science teacher but couldn't cut it so she went for an art degree instead." Fred joked, knowing several people he went to college with, who decided to aim for an 'easier' degree rather than slog through the courses they had and might have been struggling with.

"Nah, my experience with Science teachers... they are far worse when it comes to crazy projects." Velma said with a laugh, remembering one in particular. Though the story about her would have to be for another time. Or they would be still sitting around in the kitchen in time for breakfast the next day, by the time she finished talking about her.

"Oh, one of your favorites, I take it?" Fred mused, knowing full well that Velma kept more in touch with her old teachers then anyone she actually went to school with growing up. So, if she was that much of an influence on the younger woman with her own crazy projects to date, she probably was still pen pals if the teacher was still around.

"Yes, but that is beside the point. We were talking about my art teacher, aren't we?" Velma brought up, trying to steer both him and her away from that teacher. She was, and still is friends and talked with her often enough to be able to babble on for a long time. And the skeletons didn't that THAT long to boil.

"True true. So, do you keep contact with her as well?" Fred wondered if she was on the list of people Velma wrote too on a semi-regular basis. (Ignoring the lost time on Mysteries that makes it hard for correspondence.)

"Sadly no, I never got any way of contacting her. Though I did do an internet search about her. Found out she is a bit of a hippie, and was in an article about oil production and speaking out about their practices and such, So not teaching, at least not at the time that she was rallying, but there didn't seem to be any other type of social media to use to get in contact with her."

Velma sighed, sad that she hadn't found a way to talk with her again. But was Glad she was still around and well, doing something she was passionate about. Taking a moment to rotating her now looser shoulders and enjoying the sensation of not having a tangle of knots that could rival some family Christmas light bundles.

"Thanks Fred."

"You're welcome. So, she's like Shaggy… Oh wait, no. Shaggy is more beatnik then Hippy, right? I always get them confused." Fred wasn't always hip with the lingo, and so things like this he didn't sometimes get.

"Well, I think a hippy is more of someone who is laid back, but has very strong political views. Like the kind of people who might do sit ins for protests, or chain themselves to a tree to protect them. They started as a counter culture and a youth movement that grew to its own entity and culture in the 60's. In general beatniks can also be Hippies, but they tended to be a more mellow type person, originally from the 'beat generation' from the 1950's to 60's and had several different cultural connotations in media and literature. Though what it currently means to today's speech patterns and dialect is hard to know for sure."

Velma said, tossing a hand up in the air. Especially with social media and various access to things, words and meanings are tossed willy nilly, and then things like Memes are actually put into Oxford and Webster dictionaries. Earning a snort from her which made Fred chuckle at her.

"Yeah, kids these days…"


	8. Bags, Brushes and Two Dorks

"Phew, it's finally ready!" Velma announced, happy to not have to be stirring anymore.

It had only been an hour, and she had really been enjoying chatting with Fred about random things to fill the time. But it wasn't the most stimulating of physical activities. Especially after Fred had spent all the time to unwind her back, neck and shoulders for her. She would knot them back up given enough time, so she really didn't want to start the process so quickly and ruin all his hard work.

"Yay! Alright! What can I do?" Fred was eager to do something.

He had offered to take the pot from her, but she had declined on him. Citing that she 'lost' so it would be bad for the winner to have to deal with it. Still, he was itching to start working on something that she would actually allow ' _the winner_ ' to do. After all, she said it would be ' _their_ ' bookmark. _So, that means it would be something he would have a hand in making, right?_

Turning the oven off, she let the pot cool down and moved to get some plastic plates from Shaggy's stash. He tended to have all sorts of plate-ware depending on the food type, viscosity, event or current mood, so she had many options to choose from. But since they were going to be brushing the pulp from the skeletons, she figured a plastic plate would be easier to wash off afterwards, and wouldn't get soggy with the excess water like on a normal paper plate. And using a ceramic plate would be too heavy and unnecessary for their current project.

So plastic it is!

Putting the plates on the island, she then laid a layer of paper towels before extracting the first two leaves for them to work on. Using some tongs to pull out the slightly hot leaves from the pot. She then washed them off in some cold water before placing them on the plates. Making sure to try to get off as much of the solution she could, without damaging the underlaying structure.

He got a red one, while she randomly plucked a green one for her to work on. Putting the pot back on the oven, she placed a lid to help retain the heat as they worked on the leaves in front of them. Not sure how long it would take before they got to the next ones in the batch.

"Ok, now we have to put on some gloves for safety, and use... um... Give me a second."

Wandering over to her box, she plucked two pairs of rubber gloves, and a small pack of simple painting brushes. The kinds that they sell at the dollar stores, in the kids crafty sections.

She handed over a pair for him to wear, and tugged at the edge of the paint brush baggy to try get to its contents. But unlike some various other bags, this one didn't seem to have a convenient pull to open tear, or any easy way to get at the brushes they apparently needed for this project. Velma tugged and twisted it a bit, almost willing to pass it over to the awaiting hands of the concerned Fred, as he watched her fight with the packaging. But she shelved her pride for the moment and gave in and just chewed down on the edge. Using her teeth to make a small slice in the stubborn wrapping to make it easy for her to rip that edge and get inside. Ripping it open with an almost overly energetic rip, pulling the plastic away and tearing it in a jagged line.

"... You know, you have a scissor in that box of yours."

Fred mused and casually pointed out the box. Quite enjoying the moment of frustration as she cutely fought the packaging and won to get at the prize inside. Knowing that she would never normally do such a thing; unless she was desperate enough on a mystery, to be seen in public chewing open something.

"..."

Pausing from her victory, she shifted her attention to the afor mentioned box and blushed as it did in fact... have a scissor for her to use. That would have been able to aid her and prevent her from having to bend to such barbaric tactics. But she had been in such a rush, to recall or check if she had a solution in her box she had brought up from the basement.

"Hmph." Turning her face away from him to hide her embarrassment, she offered him the bag with the various plastic, multicolored handles for him to take one.

"So, I just need a brush?" Giving her space, ( _though thoroughly enjoying her being flustered_ ) he picked a random color brush and looked down at the plate and the leaf in front of him. Not exactly sure what he was supposed to do with the brush. Well, he knew he was going to use it, but where was not something she had gotten around to telling him.

"Yes. Well, put on the gloves and then you need to lightly use the brush to remove the pulp of the leaf from the skeleton that it is normally attached too. The waxier the leaf is, the easier it will be to brush away with this method. It still will be delicate, so you have to be gentle as you use the brush to separate it. Just take your time, and worst case, we have more."

Shifting her attention to teacher mode, she was able to get a hold of herself and try to push away the memory of what she had just done.

Looking at the leaf, he figured as he went, he would see the skeleton better. But at the moment, he wasn't exactly sure what would be removed and what would remain to become the skeleton. So, he would just have to trust Velma and follow the instructions. And it would all work out. Putting on the gloves, he picked up his purple brush and poked the leaf a bit with the end.

"Is there a side I should start with?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. You might want to start where the stem is attached. You want to use small, short and gentle strokes to remove the pulp. And the gloves are a counter measure to the washing soda. It can irritate eyes and skin, so you want to try to keep it off of yourself and don't touch your eyes. Shaggy does have an eye washing station if something bad happens, but as long as you are mindful you should be fine."

She made sure that Shaggy and Scooby had a station in hand in their kitchen once they started to really get into food experiments in their kitchen. Especially with their love of spicy things. So, she badgered him until they got at least one to have installed in the walk-in pantry.

And she was just thankful that they didn't need it regularly, and had it those few times they weren't careful enough.

"Got it." Tilting his head, he looked over his leaf in front of him. Squinting his eyes at it, he started to try to remove the bits to reveal the skeleton. Craning his neck forwards, he was trying to do it slow and steady. Doing like what she had said, with patience and a light touch. A tongue slightly peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he got to work.

Turning to her own, Velma got distracted working on her leaf, slipping into a motion for removing the pulp with the finesse of an expert. It had been a bit since she had made one, but she had made enough that her hands remembered the motions and had gotten more than half removed before the mutterings of Fred got past her concentration.

"Mm... grrr."

A few more brush strokes got in before Fred grunted again. Seeming to be struggling. Distracting her more. Shifting her attention to try to listen to what was going on more than the work in front of her.

"Ack, darn it."

Looking up, Velma flinched in surprise as she saw what was going on at the other side of the table. Pulling back her neck before shaking her head at the sight.

Bend over the plate, Fred was inches away from the leaf. Almost to the point that Velma would be afraid that he might get the solution in his eyes if there were any small splashes. She had just warned him of this, but he was concentrating too much to probably even realize the distance he was at.

But she knew that squint... the kind of squint that only comes from a person struggling with their own broken eyesight and is trying to compensate for the loss of normal vision they were used to. And while Fred's eyesight wasn't as bad as her, doing something this small, he was struggling to try to see well enough to remove the pulp and see all the details.

Sighing, Velma knew the struggle all too well.

"Fred... Freeed." Trying to get his attention. Waving a hand to see if he might notice the movement in his peripheral vision. A method the gang had used on her many a time in the past, so it should work on him as well.

"Hm?" Finally noticing the movement, it got his attention. Looking up, he was almost cross eyed at the strain, taking a moment to blink before Velma got into focus. A bemused look on her face as she shook her head again.

"Fred. Maybe think about your glasses? Before you snort up the leaf from being so close?" She gave into a chuckle, knowing full well that she was just as guilty as he was. What a pair they were. Daphne would have a field day.

"Oh, yeah. Oops."

And it was Fred's turn to be embarrassed.


	9. Leaves, Backgrounds and Tails

Once Fred put on his glasses, he was able to work on the leaf a lot better. And the glasses would be an added protection against any splashing, just in case. Though the damage had already been done. With the limited sight, he had squished and ripped at least half of the one he was given. Sulking a bit that his pride might have costed him one less leaf to use in the bookmark.

"Don't feel bad Fred. We can still use it, but I had messed up a bunch before I got my first one done. Don't worry about it."

She tried to console him, letting him know that it wasn't that big of a deal and they would still be able to use it as is. Though it was hard to not feel bad for ruining it. Along with Velma's looking so nice, compared to his. So, he just vowed to get better on the next one, and make sure he didn't ruin a second. Letting his stubbornness and small competitive nature to help him improve.

"So, once we get them cleaned off, then what?" Trying to not split his attention too much, Fred still was curious what other steps were left till he had a Dinkley original bookmark to use. Slowly getting a handle of the brush and making slow but good work of the pulp. Cleaning it off and exposing the skeleton better than before.

"Mm, looking good." She said, leaning over and seeing his progress. "Well, once these are done, we can start working on the base of the bookmark that they will be sitting on. Though, we could do another step to the skeleton leaves to change them into brighter colors, if you would like?"

"Hm, brighter colors?" He looked over at the few leaves that had been done already. Though they probably needed to be washed off lightly to get all the gook off of them, but they generally had the color that the leaf had normally. Which is why he figured she had him pull a bunch of the different colors to use for the bookmark. He wasn't exactly sure how she would end up adding something to them, to make them brighter.

"Yeah, technically there is another step some people do in their leaf skeleton projects. I wanted to keep them more natural, but if you really wanted to, we could bleach them and dye them other colors." Velma offered. She knew that Shaggy and Scooby owned more than a sane person's amount of food coloring in the house. So, it shouldn't be too hard to find one of the many boxes that was sure to exist somewhere in the kitchen.

"Errr..."

Thinking about it, he could see how for other Do It Yourself projects, like scrap booking or other designs might want to add their own colors to a bleached canvas to make even cooler designs. _But did they really need it for this project?_ Looking over at the leaves, he could easily see their original colors in the bits that had been left, muted but still there. _Did they really need to go out of their way and change what was already there?_

"Nah, I think it might be cool to just keep them as is. Though I would love to see how they would look bleached white, which would be interesting to see. But for us, let's just keep going as is, and we will just have to make some more later with plans to bleach it!" Later would always work, Fred thought. Gives him more reasons to bug Velma to do a project together. He bet his mom would love to have some of these for her personal scrapbooking projects.

"Later it is then!" Velma cheerily agreed, liking the idea of doing another activity with him.

"Well, if we don't want to bleach them. That is one less step. Once we get the rest stripped of their outsides, they have to dry. Getting out some of the card stock that I brought up with me, it will form the bottom tier. I have a few different color options, and then have some construction paper and decorative designed paper to add as another detail later for the leaves to be placed upon. So, use the card stock as the base, and then add any other designs as another layer for the leaves to sit on. Then we will use my lamination machine to add a protective coating on them before using a hole punch for the bookmarks tail."

She loved to make all sorts of bookmarks. There wasn't a right or wrong way to make one, with the exception that it was possible to make a bookmark too tall, if you have it fit one larger paperback/hardcover, but then might be too big for another smaller novel. Which then just meant that she would have to make another, to fit that book. Or have a number of bookmarks for different types and sizes of books.

That, and over the years she must have gone through hundreds of them. Between mysteries, traveling or just getting lost in the house or what not... Velma had used and lost countless bookmarks. ( _And a few, she bet, to the laundry_ ) And while she might be sad that she might have misplaced a favorite one of them that she had made or received from someone... She hoped that the next person who came across it lying where ever it ended up, would then use it for themselves and it would continue to live in books like it should.

"Is it really called a tail?" Fred wondered, not sure if that was an official term or one she was just using.

"I don't know, but I have heard them called that. So, it is what I use to call them. Though I bet you could call it a tassel, fringe or a few other terms. But I tend to use tail in regards to defining the part of the bookmark." Velma said with a shrug, moving to wash off the one she finished and fish out another leaf.

"Also, some bookmarks can be made from beads and string, or just a pure piece of ribbon, and others are just clips that attach to the page."

"Oh, I have seen some of those. They sometimes are metal, or those bookmarks that double as lights." Fred said eagerly, recalling that Daphne never liked the little flashlight ones, complaining that it didn't give enough light for people to use that won't ruin their eyesight. Even though the rest of the gang sometimes used them for different things. Fred had caught Scooby and Shaggy using one of those, to read comics when they were too lazy to get up and put on their bedroom light.

"Yeah, and there even is a type of bookmarks that slide on the edge of the paper. I have seen tutorials on those, but I have yet to try it. But they have some cute designs to look like foxes or frogs, and even some monsters that look like they are peeking around the page or chomping down on the corner." She chuckled, thinking about where she had those bookmarks in her computer, to be able to find those tutorials later. Though she bet that even if the monster was cute, Shaggy and Scooby would prefer something different, then a monster.

"I bet there are tons of different types. We might have to bug the rest of the gang and make a day out of it." Fred suggested, thinking about it. While he earned the fancy, Velma bookmark... it didn't mean that it might not be fun to do this kind of thing with the rest of the gang. And it was never a bad thing to have more bookmarks. Plus, it would be really cool to see which type each member would gravitate towards if they had their choice. He was curious what each of them would pick, given the chance.

"True, Daphne has her books and magazines, and Shaggy and Scooby could always use a nice bookmark for their cookbooks. Maybe one that had a magnet or something that was more fitting for dirty or flour covered hands and paws... Hmmm." She would have to look into it. Might be fun to make a day out of it, like Fred mentioned. A crafty day, though not sure how much patience Scooby would have for it, so Shaggy would just have to pull double duty.

"We'll have to bring that up tomorrow at breakfast." Velma offered, knowing that the first meal of the day was one of the best times to have everyone in one place together. Ignoring Buffet Wednesday, which had already past and would be a few days before it came again.

"Mm, _sounds like a plan_." Fred said with a goofy grin, using one of his favorite lines. Earning a chuckle and a snort from his companion across the table. She would have whapped him one, but he was out of reach. But it didn't stop her from smiling and shaking her head for the comment.


End file.
